Yakusoku Da Yo
by Cold-Wings
Summary: TezukaXOC A chance meeting between Tezuka and a girl in his class he's never noticed has the potential to blossom into something beautiful...and Kikumaru and the rest of the team will see to it that it does. COMPLETE!
1. Short Cut of Chance

Well, here you have it, my first attempt at a story in quite some time as well as my first on Hope you enjoy it. R/R is most appreciated.

Disclaimer: As much as I would like to own everyone's favorite jailbait tennis players, I do not, so please don't sue me. However I do own Kiyokawa Seira so if you would like to use her in anything I ask that you request permission before doing so. That being said, on with the fic!

Chapter 1

Dusk settled upon Seishun Gakuen like any other day. Most of the students had left for the day and those with after school clubs were slowly filing out of the campus. Tucking her shinai safely in her bag, Kiyokawa Seira slung it over her shoulders and bid farewell to her fellow Kendo Club members and her sensei. As soon as she stepped outside into the cool air, she nonchalantly checked her watch and let out a choke of surprise. "Dammit I was supposed to be home twenty minutes ago!" She exclaimed out loud, not caring who heard.

She squinted and stared at the other side of campus. "Looks like the tennis team is done for the day. Don't think they'll mind if I cut through the courts then." She thought, breaking into a light jog.

Kiyokawa was about to round the corner of the boys locker room when she slammed into someone, knocking her down. "I'm sorry! I wasn't watching where I was going." She apologized.

Wincing slightly, she looked up to see one of the Seigaku Regulars holding out his hand to help her up. "You ok?" He asked, though it was more like a statement than an actual question.

"Y-yes." She replied, pulling herself up with his help.

He gave a slight nod and began walking in the opposite direction. "Tezuka-san right?" She inquired. "I think we're in the same class."

Tezuka turned to face her. "Ah. And you are?"

It didn't surprise her that he didn't know who she was. Not many did, as she had only transferred to Seigaku near the end of the previous school year. "Kiyokawa Seira. Nice to meet you." She replied with a small bow.

"Nice to meet you." He replied curtly, turning to leave once more.

At a loss for words, Kiyokawa broke into a small run once more and headed for home. "He's awfully cold." She thought. "But plenty of girls like him so there's probably something that I'm not seeing. Well, aside from the fact that he's quite good looking. Heh, who am I kidding?" She mused, shaking off the thought as she quickened her pace toward home.

Tezuka was about to continue walking when a red-headed regular came bounding up to him. "Hoi hoi Tezuka! I forgot my spare racket. You're here late. Huh? Were you talking to someone?" Kikumaru asked, looking slightly confused.

"Yeah. Kiyokawa Seira I think she said her name was. We…ran into each other." Tezuka replied.

Kikumaru's face lit up as he turned to wave excitedly at Kiyokawa's retreating form. "See you tomorrow Kiyo-chan!" He called after her.

"You know her?" Tezuka inquired.

"Nyaaa she's in our class! She transferred here at the end of second year remember?" Kikumaru narrowed his eyes. "You weren't mean to her were you? If you were mean to her I'll never forgive you."

A brief look of surprise appeared on Tezuka's face at Kikumaru's statement and vanished as quickly as it had arrived. "No. Morning practice tomorrow. Don't forget." He replied flatly and turned to leave.

"Yeah yeah." Kikumaru replied lazily and went to go fetch his racket, but not before a cat-like grin played upon his lips. "I think I just saw Captain blush a little. Could it be…?" His eyes lit up even more than they had moments ago. "Looks like I'm going to have to talk to Kiyo-chan tomorrow." He mused, releasing a small laugh as he too headed home.


	2. Kikumaru's Plan

Disclaimer: I own Kiyokawa Seira only. PoT isn't mine.

A/N: Hoped everyone liked the first chapter. This takes place just before the prefecturals with Yamabuki, so it'll contain some spoilers about the match in the coming chapters. Don't say I didn't warn you.

Chapter 2

Kiyokawa Seira yawned sleepily as she walked onto Seigaku's campus, squinting through her choppy blonde hair as the sun rose higher in the morning sky. After changing to her indoor shoes and stopping off at her locker, she meandered her way into homeroom; greeted with the typical behavior of her classmates. A group of girls were huddled in a corner, most likely gossiping about the latest boy they had a crush on, Takeshi was passed out on his desk as usual, and the Seigaku regulars were talking about something that seemed fairly important… She felt a small blush creep up to her cheeks as her eyes fell upon the bespectacled captain she had run into the previous day. His dark grey faze met hers briefly before it was replaced with the bright eyed face of Kikumaru Eiji. "Good morning Kiyo-chan!" He greeted her, enveloping her into a huge hug.

She couldn't help but smile at her friend's warm, but unexpected good morning. He usually gave her nothing more than a bright wave and a casual good morning. "Good morning Eiji-kun." She really didn't understand how he had that much energy so early in the morning; or that much energy period for that matter. He was the first person to talk to her when she had transferred to Seigaku, asking her a million questions and offering to show her around the campus. She laughed inwardly at the memory as she felt Eiji grab her wrist and pull her toward his group.

"Come sit with us! We're talking about the upcoming tournament against Yamabuki. You should come watch us! It'd be so cool to have another cheerleader! You can hang out with Ryuzaki-chan and…what was her name again?"

"Eiji, let her breathe." Tezuka commanded, his arms folded across her chest.

Kikumaru opened his mouth to protest but murmured a small, "Yes, captain."

Kiyokawa greeted the rest of the Regulars and turned to face a beaming Oishi. "It'd be really great if you came to the tournament. Even if they don't show it, everyone loves the support and if you have a problem getting there or something let me know and I'm sure we can work something out."

"Yeah." She nodded in agreement. No wonder they called him "Oishi-mama." He definitely acted like the mother of the team. She always though tennis to slightly boring, but that was probably because every time she had tried playing she hadn't done too well.

Kikumaru gave Tezuka a playful poke in the ribs and exclaimed, "Nya, Tezuka wants you there too. Right Tezuka?" He smiled sweetly.

Tezuka glared at his red-headed teammate and gave a small nod. "The more support we have the better morale for the team."

Fuji piped up, smiling as usual. "That's his way of saying 'yes he wants you there.'"

Kiyokawa felt her cheeks grow hot again. "Well, it looks like I'll see you guys in the stands then. I can practice kendo any day right?" She smiled.

Kikumaru stood up so fast it sent his chair reeling. "Wai! Kiyo-chan is coming to watch us play tennis!" He exclaimed so loudly the whole class had stopped what they were doing to stare at him, including the teacher whom very few had seen walk in.

"Eiji, please refrain from shouting in my classroom." The teacher scolded. "Now take your seat."

"O-okay." He mumbled an apology, his head down as he walked to his seat.

Kiyokawa stifled a giggle as she too took her seat along with the rest of the class to begin the day's lesson.

Lunchtime rolled around and the hallways filled with students. Kiyokawa was about to go sit with her friends from the Kendo Club when Kikumaru grabbed her wrist for the second time and dragged her in the opposite direction. "Come sit with us Kiyo-chan!" He said, smiling.

"B-but…oh alright. Ne, Eiji-kun, you seem to be talking to me more than usual today." She inquired.

"Nya?" He looked slightly hurt. "We don't hang out enough and you're fun. The guys seem to think so too……even Tezuka." He added with a sly little smile.

"Am I that easy to read?" She thought. "Tezuka seems to be a quiet one." She replied, smiling slightly.

Kikumaru looked puzzled. "Well, yeah. But he really cares for the team even if he really doesn't show it. Why do you wanna know? You like him or somethin'?" He teased.

"W-Well..I.. uh…" She stammered.

"Hello Kiyokawa-san, Eiji." Fuji interrupted, his usual grin plastered on his face.

Kikumaru jumped a foot in the air and spun to face his teammate. "Nyaa Fuji! Don't scare me like that!"

"Saa. sorry Eiji. Eating lunch with us Kiyokawa-san?" Fuji asked.

Kiyokawa nodded. "And Kiyo-chan is fine. No need for formalities. All of you." She smiled as they approached the lunch table.

Kikumaru sat down next to Oishi, stealing a piece of sushi from his bento before he opened his own and started talking nonstop about some cute animal he saw in the pet store earlier that week. Kiyokawa laughed and sat down, surprisingly across from Tezuka, who looked incredibly bored. Flashing him a weak smile, she began eating her own lunch when Fuji asked her, "So, you're in the kendo club right?"

She nodded, her mouth full of food. "I've been practicing it since I was about five. My grandparents owned a dojo and I would go over there almost everyday to practice. But since we moved I can only visit on holidays." She replied after she had swallowed.

Fuji nodded, noticing Tezuka discreetly listening to her every word and chuckling inwardly. "So, he does have an interest in girls after all." He thought, opening his mouth to ask Kiyo-chan another question when he was interrupted by Kikumaru leaning over half the table.

"Ne ne, Kiyo-chan, kendo club is done about the same time as us right? Wanna walk home together?" He asked hopefully.

"Eh? Sure." Kiyo really didn't know what had gotten into him that day. It was almost as if he was planning something. Her thoughts were interrupted by the bell signaling the end of lunch. "Sorry guys, I gotta run. Test in English now. See you after practice Eiji-kun. She said, getting up from the table, waves and murmurs of "good luck" eliciting from the guys as she retreated to her next class

Practice seemed to go faster than usual as Kiyokawa changed out of her hakama and back into her green and pink uniform and hurried over to the tennis courts to meet up with Kikumaru. He waved enthusiastically as she approached. "Sorry, I had a lot of stuff to change out of." She explained.

"It's ok. Tezuka's coming with us too." Kikumaru replied, pointing at their stoic captain.

He nodded and said, "Let's go." And lead the way out of the school grounds.

The walk home was fairly uneventful, with Kikumaru doing most of the talking. As the trio neared the center of downtown, Kikumaru stopped in his tracks. "What's wrong?" Kiyokawa asked.

"I-I just remembered I have to pick up something for my sister. You'll make sure she gets home okay won't you Tezuka." He added with a mischievous grin.

"Of course." He replied bluntly.

Kiyokawa flushed at the thought of walking home alone with Tezuka Kunimtisu. On one hand she couldn't have been happier, but on the other, she didn't know what to do or say to him. What if he found her annoying or stupid? "I'm going to kill you if this turns into a catastrophe Eiji-kun." She thought, waving to the retreating Kikumaru. Turning to Tezuka, she asked, "Shall we go then?" He nodded and they set of for home.

Kikumaru snickered to himself as he hid behind the nearest building, watching the two of them. True, he really did have to pick up something for his sister, but she didn't need it till the weekend. He just wanted an excuse for the two of them to be alone. "You better not be mean to Kiyo-chan." He whispered to himself, feeling a small tap on his shoulder.

"What are you doing Eiji-senpai?" It was Echizen, their freshman prodigy, along with Momoshiro.

"Shhhhhh!" He exclaimed, placing a finger to his lips. "Tezuka is with Kiyo-chan and I don't want to ruin it!"

Echizen and Momo looked at each other in disbelief. Momo burst out laughing. "Tezuka…..with a girl?" He asked, still not believing what he had just heard.

Kikumaru looked angry. "Look for yourself then!" He said, pointing.

Echizen and Momo peered around the corner, staring at the disappearing captain and his companion. "Who's he with?" Momo inquired.

"Kiyokawa Seira-senpai. She's in the kendo club. I heard she's pretty good." Echizen answered.

Momo looked confused. "H-how did you…?" He trailed off, interrupted by a familiar voice.

"Excellent data. I will have to add this to yours Tezuka. Let's see how you react to a girl. I wonder if she would like to try my newest Inui juice." Inui mumbled, jotting in his notebook.

"Inui-senpai! When did you…?" Momo was growing more confused.

"I shall have to notify the others of Tezuka's date." Inui replied, pulling out his cell phone.

"What have I done?" Kikumaru thought worriedly.

AN: Sorry it started off slow, but I needed to set up Kiyo's character first before jumping into things. Things are going to pick up soon I promise. As always R and R is most welcome!


	3. Walking Home

Disclaimer: I own Kiyokawa and nothing else.

Kiyokawa stared in disbelief as Kikumaru ran off. "Of all times, why did he have to do something now?" She thought, blankly waving to him. Turning to Tezuka, she said, "Shall we go then?" He nodded.

The walk home had an uncomfortable silence. Kiyokawa was usually quiet around people when she first met them and talked more and more when she warmed up to the person, but she at least could think of something to make small talk. However, with Tezuka she couldn't even do that. Even though they were the same age, Tezuka had a very intimidating presence. After walking for about twenty minutes in deafening silence, Kiyo opened her mouth to tell him that he didn't have to walk her all the way home since she did it alone everyday, but before she could, he broke the silence for her. "Kiyokawa?"

"Yes?" She replied, in a voice much smaller than she intended.

"I know you're in the kendo club, but have you ever played tennis?" Tezuka asked, looking at a set of stairs up ahead on the sidewalk.

"Well, two or three times, but I'm not very good. I can return the ball almost half the time." She laughed nervously.

"Would you like to play? There are some street courts up ahead and they won't be too crowded at this time."

Kiyo stared blankly as his words sunk in. Did he just ask her to play tennis with him? Yes. Tezuka Kunimitsu, captain of the Seigaku tennis club, had just asked her to play a light game of street tennis with him. "I, um, well…" She stammered.

"I see. Let's go then." He replied, taking her response as a no.

"No, I'll play. I don't have a racket or anything though."

"You can use one of mine." He offered, leading the two of them up the stairs.

Tezuka wasn't sure exactly why he had invited this girl to play tennis with him. The words flew out of his mouth before he even thought about them. Of course he had no intention of using his full strength against her. He wasn't even sure she could return a ball, but this girl vexed him. She seemed to be decent friends with Kikumaru so why had he never really noticed her before? Then again, he brushed off most of the female attention he received as it was mostly fangirls who only paid him any attention because of his looks and the fact that he was on the tennis team. She wasn't like any of them. He had only met her officially a day ago and he was already asking her to spend more time with him. Interesting, to say the least. He smirked inwardly. "I'm starting to sound like Inui. Maybe the tennis will clear my head." He thought.

A light tapping on his shoulder brought him out of his reverie. "Ne, Tezuka-san, did you hear what I said?" Kiyo asked, a concerned look on her face

"Huh? No, sorry."

Kiyo smiled. "It's ok. I just asked which court we were playing on."

"That one." He replied, pointing at the court furthest back.

The pair walked to the court and set their bags down on a nearby bench. Tezuka reached in his bag and pulled out two rackets. "Here. Take this one."

"Thanks." Kiyo replied, taking the racket from him. It felt small compared to her shinai, not to mention much lighter. She took a few practice swings, trying to remember how she was instructed to hold the racket, stopping and flushing slightly when she noticed Tezuka watching her.

"I'll serve." He stated, walking to the opposite side of the court. Kiyo nodded and took her position. Throwing the ball up in the air, Tezuka served the ball with only about a fourth of his actual power. Kiyo managed to hit it, only to have it slam into the top of the net.

"Sorry!" She exclaimed, running to pick up the ball, but Tezuka already had one in his hand, ready to serve. She managed to clear the net this time, and kept up the volley for about five hits until Tezuka hit his Zero-Shiki. She stared in awe as the ball dropped over the net and skidded back toward it. "What the…?" She looked puzzled as she approached the net and picked up the ball, staring at it blankly. "And just what was that?" She asked Tezuka.

"Zero-Shiki. My drop shot." He replied, approaching the net. "You hold your racket too high. Hold it near the end and you'll have better control." She nodded and did as he told, taking a few swings. True, it was much easier to swing that way. "And relax a little. You're too stiff. This isn't kendo." Tezuka turned to go to his end of the court, but not before noticing a slight rustle of a nearby bush, and what appeared to be a small glimpse of a white hat. "Your serve."

"Okay." Kiyo said, walking to her end of the court. "Why did he use that drop shot on me? He knew there was no way I was going to return it. Is he trying to embarrass me on purpose?" She thought, throwing up the ball to serve it, taking out her frustration on the unfortunate yellow sphere.

Tezuka was surprised at the force behind her serve as he returned it to her. She had a different look in her eyes. No longer was she the shy girl he had seen moments ago. Something had set her off. Was it his Zero-Shiki? To be honest, he had no idea why he had used that move against her. It wasn't like they were playing a game. She didn't even play tennis on a regular basis. Surely he hadn't felt the need to impress her did he? He mused, as the ball went whizzing by his left hand and hit the fence behind him only to be followed by someone clapping. He half expected to see Ryoma standing there, his usual smirk on his face, but he was greeted with none other than the captain of the Hyotei Gakuen tennis team: Atobe Keigo. "So you're the famed captain of Seigaku. Tezuka Kunimitsu." He said serenely. "Must not be much of a player if you let a girl score a point against you. Although she is quite cute."

Kiyo had walked over to see who their intruder was when she heard his last remark. "Don't you insult him like that!" She sneered. "If he wanted to…" She was cut off by Tezuka placing his arm in front of her.

Atobe grinned. "Cute _and_ feisty. I like that. How about a date with someone as beautiful as yourself…princess?"

"Not on your life." She spat back, feeling a small push on her hip.

"Kiyokawa, we're leaving." Tezuka replied simply, steering her toward the bench where their bags lay.

"Ohh, that's too bad. Well then, would you do me the honor of playing a match with me before you depart Tezuka? Captain versus captain?" Atobe smirked wickedly.

"If you want to play me I'll see you at the prefecturals." He bellowed, walking toward the exit.

"Humph. You're no fun." Atobe said softly as he watched the two leave. "Ne Kabaji?"

"Usu."

The walk from the courts had resumed its uncomfortable silence. Kiyo hung her head, feeling like she had embarrassed Tezuka. "Ne…Tezuka-san?" She asked quietly. He looked at her, Grey meeting green as she said, "Sorry about what happened back there. I just get angry when people say things like that to someone. Probably because I used to get picked on as a kid. I didn't mean to embarrass you in front of that Hyotei guy."

"Don't worry about it. It's nothing. You didn't embarrass me." He said, staring off to the horizon.

"Oh. Well, my house is this way." She said as they approached an intersection. "You don't have to walk me all the way home if you don't want to."

"I live this way as well." Tezuka replied, turning the corner. He followed her for a good four blocks before she stopped outside a house with the name "Kiyokawa" next to the gate.

"We're here. Thanks for walking me home." She smiled. "Tennis was fun too, even if I'm not too good at it." She gave a small laugh.

"You're not bad for a beginner. Well, see you tomorrow." He nodded lightly.

Kiyo nodded in agreement. "See you tomorrow." She said, and walked inside her house.

Tezuka waited until she was safely inside and called over his shoulder, "One hundred laps around the courts tomorrow. All of you."

Echizen, Momoshiro, Inui, Oishi, Kaidoh, Kawamura, Fuji, and Kikumaru tumbled out from around a nearby corner, landing in a heap. "You knew we were there the whole time?" Momo asked, disbelief in his eyes. "Why didn't you say anything then!"

"A bit careless now weren't we? One hundred laps. Don't forget." He added coldly, turning to walk home.

"Nyaa, we blew that huh?" Proclaimed Kikumaru, looking at the retreating form of Tezuka.

"Well if Momo wasn't so loud then maybe things would have gone a little differently." Kaidoh replied.

"What did you say mamushi!" Momo barked back.

"I said you're too loud."

"Shut up!"

Momo and Kaidoh continued to bicker as Echizen stared at the place where Tezuka was a minute ago. Pulling his cap lower over his eyes, he said quietly, "Mada mada dane."

Shinai – The bamboo sword used in kendo


	4. Adversaries

Disclaimer: I own nada…except for Kiyokawa.

Kiyokawa beamed as she entered her house. After greeting her mom, she retreated upstairs to her room. Glancing out her window she saw that Tezuka was still standing outside of her house and he appeared to be talking to someone. She craned her neck to get a better view and she was surprised to find the remaining eight members of the Seigaku regulars lying in a heap at the corner of her street. "Oh sure you had to pick up something for your sister Eiji-kun." She thought sarcastically. "You just wanted to spy on us you little sneak." She smiled. "Thanks." She whispered, watching the team disperse before flopping on her bed.

Tezuka stalked away from his teammates toward his house, not necessarily angry at them, but slightly annoyed that they felt the need to follow him just because he happened to be walking with a member of the opposite sex. So what if he walked home with her? She was Eiji's friend and he told him he would see her safely home and that was it. So why did he ask her to play tennis with him? Why did he feel the need to protect her from Atobe? Eiji would be mad at him if anything had happened to her. That was the reason. "Stop lying to yourself. Why would the entire team be following you if they didn't see what you're refusing to see?" His conscious told him. "I think you're starting to like her." Tezuka shook his head to clear his thoughts. Girls were too confusing and nearly all of them too hyperactive for his tastes; maybe that's why he never bothered with them. He could tolerate Kiyokawa though. Well, maybe tolerate was too harsh of a word, but he found himself at least able to talk to her, even how minute it happened to be, and feel relaxed in her presence. He looked up and saw that he had walked straight past his house. Since when did he live so close to her? Tezuka mentally chastised himself for thinking too much and headed inside to take a shower.

Kiyokawa woke up the following morning feeling more rested than she had the past couple of days. Changing into her uniform, she grabbed her schoolbag, kendo bag, a piece of toast and headed out the door. As she neared the gate, she thought she saw the silhouette of someone standing outside it. Curious, she opened the gate half expecting to see someone from the kendo club but instead found Tezuka standing there, seemingly lost in thought. "Good morning Tezuka-san." She said, trying to hide her surprise. Was he waiting for her or did he just happen to be walking by the moment she left her house?

Tezuka blinked, coming out of his thoughts and looked down at the blonde haired and green eyed girl standing next to him. "Good morning." He greeted her simply. "Shall we go?"

Kiyo didn't have time to reply as Tezuka walked past her, heading toward school. She tried to muster up enough courage to ask him if he wanted to walk to school with her and felt relieved when he assumed they were walking with each other. They walked in silence for a few blocks when Kiyo asked, "How is practice coming? I mean, do you think everyone is ready for the match against Yamabuki?" Great. Practice was probably the last thing he wanted to talk about.

"There are still some things we need to work on, but I'm confident we will have little trouble defeating them. We have Nationals to go to and we can't afford any careless mistakes." He replied.

"What was that about Nationals captain?" Asked a voice behind them.

The pair turned around and found Echizen and Momo. Kiyo smiled. "Good morning Momo-chan, Echizen-kun." She gave a small bow.

"Morning." They greeted her back and fell into step with Tezuka and Kiyo.

The conversation floated between the upcoming match and Echizen poking fun at Momo. The four of them reached the school and changed into their indoor shoes. "I gotta talk to my kendo coach about something. I'll see you guys later." Kiyo said, excusing herself.

Echizen waited until Kiyo was out of earshot and turned to face Tezuka. "You might want to watch out for Atobe…captain." He said, turning to walk toward class.

Tezuka stared at the freshman, searching for the hidden meaning in his piece of advice. Whatever it was, he could not find the exact answer in Echizen's amber eyes.

The next week and a half flew by, with Kiyokawa balancing her time between the regulars and her friends from the kendo club. Tezuka and Kiyo had been walking to and from school on almost a regular basis and the match against Yamabuki was the upcoming weekend. However, Friday did not bode well for Kiyokawa. After practice, she ran inside the school to grab her math book, trying to hurry as to not keep Tezuka and Eiji waiting too long. She was about to leave when she heard her name being called down the hallway. She turned to see who it was and saw Yanagawa, Makoto, and Ayumu, three girls from her grade and members of the Go club heading her way. She rarely talked to them and wondered what they needed her for. "Hello Kiyokawa." Ayumu said snottily. "The three of us have a little problem that we need to discuss with you."

"And what problem would that be?" Kiyo asked warily.

"Tezuka Kunimitsu. You've been awfully friendly with him the past couple of weeks, with walking to school with him and eating lunch with the boys tennis team and all." Ayumu replied, a smug look on her face.

"And quite frankly we don't like it very much. An ugly thing like you doesn't deserve to even look at someone like Tezuka-sama." Makoto chimed in.

Kiyo's eyes narrowed. She knew they were three of the most popular girls in the school, but that did not give them the right to govern her like that, much less call her ugly. "Who I'm friends with does not concern you. The three of you have no right to tell me who I can and cannot be friends with. Now if you'll excuse me Tezuka-san and Eiji-kun are waiting for me." She replied bluntly, turning toward the door.

However, Yanagawa got in her path. "We can't let you do that. Makoto already told you. You don't deserve him. Now stay away from Tezuka-sama or you'll regret it."

"Out of my way." Kiyo said through clenched teeth, moving her left hand out of the way before Yanagawa had a chance to grab it. However, she didn't anticipate Makoto and Ayumu grabbing her from behind.

Yanagawa covered Kiyo's mouth with her hand and sneered. "No." She looked at Makoto and Ayumu. "Let's lock Ugly in the broom closet. No one will find her for awhile and Tezuka-sama will hate her for being late."

The three of them laughed as they dragged the struggling Kiyo the short distance down the hallway towards the broom closet. Try as she could, Kiyo could not free herself from the grip of the three girls. One opponent was easy enough to anticipate and read movement from, but three was another story. Not to mention they were stronger than they looked. Opening the door, they tossed her inside and slammed the door in her face, placing a chair from a nearby classroom underneath the knob. "Enjoy your stay in there Ugly." Ayumu said in a singsong voice.

"Let me out!" Kiyo cried, pounding on the door with her fists. Kiyo could hear the roaring laughter of the three bullies fade as they walked further down the hall. Knowing that no one else was in the school, she slumped on the floor of the closet and felt two hot tears trail down her cheek. I'm sorry Tezuka-san, Eiji-kun."

Tezuka and Kikumaru stood outside waiting for Kiyokawa. "Nyaa, Kiyo-chan is late. She said she just had to grab her math book real quick. She should be here by now." Kikumaru mused aloud. "What should we do Tezuka?"

Tezuka narrowed his eyes as he saw three figures leave the school. "I'll go look for her. Wait here." He replied, setting off for the school.

Kikumaru knew better than to argue, so he sat on a nearby bench and said, "Just hurry ok?"

Tezuka nodded and headed in the school. He searched the upstairs classrooms, lunch area, and the front entrance with no luck. He rounded a corner and yelled, "Kiyokawa!" Hoping she could hear him.

Hearing her name, Kiyo stood up and began to knock on the door again. "I'm in here!" She yelled. "The closet. I'm locked in."

Tezuka heard a muffled cry and rushed to the door of the closet. Moving the chair aside, he opened the door to find a puffy-eyed Kiyokawa with tear stains on her cheeks. Kiyo couldn't help but feel embarrassed as Tezuka looked at her. "Who did this to you?" He demanded.

Kiyo felt a fresh batch of tears flow down her cheeks as she looked at the floor. He sounded angry, though not at her. Of all people to find her like this, especially in a moment of weakness, it had to be him. "Yanagawa, Makoto, and Ayumu, the three popular girls from Class C." She answered meekly.

Tezuka stared at the girl before him. She looked so fragile and he couldn't help but feel a pang of empathy towards her. He knew exactly what it felt like to be bullied. "Why did they do this?"

"Because….because of you." She looked up at him. "They said someone as ugly as me doesn't even deserve to look at you. They're mad that I talk to you and the rest of the team and they want me to stay away from you or I'll regret it. So they locked me in there thinking you would hate me if I didn't show up to walk home"

Tezuka took a moment to let her words sink in. They were jealous of her, just like his senpai was of him during his freshman year. Reaching out his hand, he lightly brushed the tears from her right cheek. "They'll regret it if they think words like that are going to keep me away from you." Tezuka couldn't believe what he had just said. Attempting to change the subject, he guided her towards the door. "Let's go home."

Kiyo nodded and pulled her already damp handkerchief out of her pocket and started to dry her tears. "Tezuka-san? Don't tell Eiji about this right away ok? And thanks for coming to look for me."

He nodded and the two of them exited the school.

The following morning, nearly half the school knew Kiyokawa got locked in the closet the previous evening. Everywhere she went she heard some form of snickering or whispering. Feeling miserable, she changed into her outdoor shoes to head home. Practice had been cancelled due to her coach becoming ill earlier in the morning. She was about to walk out the door when Yanagawa, Makoto, and Ayumu cornered her. "How was your stay in the closet Ugly?" Ayumu asked sweetly.

"Who came to your rescue? Prince Charming?" Makoto added, laughing.

"Tezuka-san did." Kiyo replied bluntly.

The three of them shut up. "I thought we told you…" Yanagawa sneered.

"Told you what Kiyo-chan?"

Kiyo turned around and met the smiling face of Fuji. A renewed sense of confidence filled her. "Oh, they want me to stay away from Tezuka-san because I'm ugly and don't deserve to look at him."

"Saa." Fuji nodded, smile fading and his eyes opening. "Well, if she has to stay away from Tezuka then she has to stay away from the rest of us and we won't allow that." Fuji said to the trio.

The three gaped at Fuji, obviously surprised to see the serious side of him. "Let's just go." Makoto said, hurrying the other two out the door.

Kiyo couldn't help but laugh. "Thanks Fuji-kun."

Fuji smiled again. "Our practice is short today because of the match tomorrow and everyone is going to see a movie after to relax. Wanna come?"

"Sure." She replied, following Fuji to the tennis courts.

Kiyo returned home quite happy that night. The movie was hilarious and Momo accidentally dumped half of his pop on Kaidoh's lap. As she lie in bed, she thought of the words Tezuka had said to her yesterday, "They'll regret it if they think words like that are going to keep me away from you." She hadn't thought much of them when he said it, mainly because she wasn't entirely sure she had heard him right. Regardless, it meant he at least thought of her as a friend. "If it's more, time would have to tell." She thought, rolling over. "I have a big day tomorrow."

AN: Sorry I haven't been updating as much. Between FFXI, a job, and friends it's hard to find time to write. That is if anyone is reading this at all. XD


	5. Kiyo's First Match

Disclaimer: I own Kiyokawa but sadly not the Seigaku boys  
  
AN: There are spoilers for the Seigaku/Yamabuki match in this chapter. I don't go too in depth as I felt it was not pertinent to the story. However, I do say who wins each match, so don't say I didn't warn you. Anonymous reviews are enabled now. Thanks to Shiroikage for letting me know. I apologize if this chapter isn't very good. I had a hard time coming up with ideas but it needed to be included. Now, on with the story!  
  
Kiyokawa awoke the next morning bursting with excitement. While it was true that tennis never really held any interest for her, she was beginning to change her mind. After changing out of her pajamas, she headed downstairs for breakfast. "Well you're up early." Kiyo's mom smiled.  
  
Kiyo nodded. "I'm going to watch the boys' tennis club. If they win today they'll be seeded in the prefectural tournament."  
  
Her mom raised an eyebrow. "Oh? And since when have you been a supporter of the tennis club? I thought tennis bored you."  
  
"I bet there's someone on the team she likes." Her older brother Daisuke cooed, walking into the kitchen.  
  
Kiyo felt her face flush. "Shut up! There is not! I'm just going to support my friends. That's all!"  
  
"Well then who is it that walks home with you everyday?" He asked slyly. "Maybe I should give him a test to see if he's worthy of dating my dear baby sister."  
  
Kiyo opened her mouth to retort but was interrupted by her mother. "Now now you two. Is this boy on the tennis team?" She asked, setting breakfast in front of the two of them.  
  
"He's the captain. Tezuka Kunimitsu"  
  
Daisuke almost choked on his orange juice. "Captain huh? You're just going straight for the top then aren't you?"  
  
"He only walks me home because he lives near here. Don't you have to help Dad with the yard work or something?" She tried to change the subject.  
  
Daisuke thought for a moment. "Yeah I do actually." He said, getting up from the table. "And Seira, don't have too much fun with Tezu-chan today ok?"  
  
"It's not like that!" She called after his retreating frame. "Stupid brothers. They're always so mean." She added quietly.  
  
"He's just looking out for you. His little sister isn't so little anymore and he feels he needs to protect you; especially where boys are concerned." Her mom smiled.  
  
"Well, it's annoying." She replied, looking at her watch. "I gotta get going or I'm going to be late. Thanks for breakfast Mom." She dashed upstairs to grab the last of her things and headed out the door.

* * *

Kiyo arrived shortly after ten o'clock and scanned the crowd for familiar faces. Frowning slightly, she spotted another girl with long brown pigtails in a Seigaku uniform looking extremely lost. Walking over to the girl she asked, "Excuse me, but you wouldn't happen to know where Seigaku is playing today would you? I've never been here before and really don't know where to go."  
  
"Um, I don't know. I went to get some juice and I got lost so..."  
  
"Sakuno! There you are." A pig tailed girl of about the same age bounded up to them. "Let's go. The match is going to start soon and we need to get good seats to cheer for Ryoma-sama!" She noticed Kiyokawa standing there and gazed warily at her. "Who's this?"  
  
"Kiyokawa Seira. Nice to meet you." She gave a small bow.  
  
"I've never seen you before. You're here to steal Ryoma-sama away from us aren't you? As president of his fan club I won't let you!" The girl cried, pointing at Kiyokawa.  
  
"T-Tomo-chan..." He friend pleaded.  
  
Kiyo laughed. "Echizen-kun is a little too young for me. He's all yours." She opened her mouth to say something else when she felt someone latch onto her back.  
  
"Kiyo-chan! You came!" Kikumaru beamed.  
  
"Of course I did. Why wouldn't I?"  
  
"Um...I don't know?" Kikumaru shrugged.  
  
"Doubles two, Seishun Gakuen Junior High versus Yamabuki Junior High is about to begin. All players please report to the designated court." The loudspeaker blared.  
  
"Let's go!" Kikumaru exclaimed, grabbing Kiyo's wrist and pulling her toward the rest of the team, Tomo and Sakuno in tow.  
  
Kiyokawa greeted the rest of the team and followed them to the court. Gazing around, she was surprised to find so many people there. After taking in the scene, she found a seat with Sakuno, Tomo, and the other freshman. Just as she was about to sit down, Fuji gave Kawamura his racket. "BURNING!" Kawamura yelled, causing Kiyo to jump about a foot in the air and stare at him with pure confusion. "COME ON BABY!"  
  
"What the...?" Kiyo questioned.  
  
Kikumaru flew into a fit of giggles. Tezuka smirked slightly. "Taka-san goes into his 'burning' mode whenever he holds a racket. I forgot you haven't seen him play yet." Kikumaru explained between giggles. Kiyo nodded, still shocked after witnessing the transformation of the usually timid Kawamura.  
  
After a quick chat with Ryuzaki-sensei, Fuji and Kawamura took the court. The match was intense. Kiyo was slightly confused with the scoring, but at least she knew when they pair had won a game. The freshmen were really into it; they kept shouting the names of what she assumed were special moves. She also learned a bit from listening to Inoue and Shiba from Pro Tennis. To her disappointment, Fuji and Kawamura lost six games to three. "Good game guys. It's only one match. We can still win." Kikumaru encouraged. "Oishi! Let's go." He gave Kiyo thumbs up.  
  
"Good luck." She smiled.  
  
Kikumaru and Oishi dominated the match, living up to their nickname "Golden Pair," winning doubles one with a score of seven to five. Momo followed suit, beating "lucky" Sengoku seven games to five. The morale of the team was high as Echizen took the court for was could possibly be the final match of the afternoon. Kiyo bit her lip when she saw his opponent; a tall, pale guy with a scowl to rival Kaidoh's. "Wonder if Echizen-kun can beat him. He looks really good...and really mean." She mused aloud.  
  
"Ryoma-sama will win! Do not doubt him like that!" Tomo said, glowering at Kiyo.  
  
"Sorry about that. I've just never seen him play." Kiyo knew he had to be good, seeing as how he was a regular his freshman year, but she didn't know how good he really was. He proved his mettle by beating Akutsu and nabbing first place for Seigaku. "We won! We won!" Kikumaru exclaimed, hugging his teammates and then Kiyokawa.  
  
"Congratulations guys." Kiyo smiled; slightly disappointed she didn't get to see Tezuka play. "I didn't know tennis could be so exciting."  
  
"Hey! Are you saying we're boring?" Momo stepped up, glaring sarcastically at Kiyo.  
  
"No, I didn't mean it like that. I just...um..." Kiyo defended, her face flushing.  
  
Momo grinned and scratched the back of his head. "Good. Otherwise we'd have to make you drink Inui Juice."  
  
"What's Inui Juice?"  
  
The team cracked up. "You don't want to know." Explained Momo.  
  
"Nyaa this calls for a celebration!" Kikumaru exclaimed, jumping up and down.  
  
"My dad already prepared for a celebration at the sushi shop, so we can go there if you guys want."  
  
Kikumaru's and Momo's eyes grew even wider. "Really Taka-san?!" Momo asked excitedly.  
  
Kawamura nodded. "Wai! Come on guys, let's go!" Kikumaru said, already halfway to the gate.  
  
"Um, I guess I'll talk to you guys later then. Congrats again." Kiyo said.  
  
Momo threw an arm around Kiyo's shoulders. "What do you mean? You're coming with us. The more the merrier, right Tezuka?"  
  
Tezuka gave a small nod, gazing at Kiyo. Her cheeks flushed again. "Well then, I guess I don't have much of a choice now do I? Shall we go?" She smiled. Everyone agreed and set off for Kawamura Sushi.


	6. Intraschools and Atobe's Challenge

Disclaimer: I own not, you sue not. Unless you take Kiyokawa, because she's mine and I'll hunt you down.

Kiyokawa stretched as the last bell rang. The excitement from the tournament had died down and things were returning to normal. Walking to the door to change for practice, she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned to see who it was and found herself staring at the stoic face of Tezuka. Her heart fluttered. "Kiyokawa, I won't be able to walk home with you for the next couple of days. I have the Intra-School Rankings to attend to."

Kiyo nodded in understanding. "It's ok. What do the rankings determine? They must be pretty important if they take a few days."

Tezuka nodded. "They rank the players in the club according to their current ability and also determine the regulars."

"That makes sense. Well, I have to get ready for practice now. I'll talk to you later Tezuka-san." She offered a quick bow and set off for the door, waving over her shoulder as she exited.

Tezuka's eyes followed her as she left the now deserted classroom. Feeling the corners of his mouth tug upward, he raised his arm and waved back.

Kiyo looked at the tennis courts after she got out of practice. The rankings looked intense. She wanted to go watch, but she had a dentist appointment and needed to hurry home. Cursing her mom's impeccable timing in scheduling it, she headed to leave, only to spot a familiar face mumbling to himself as he read his little green notebook. She always thought Inui to be a little weird, and couldn't help but wonder if he had any data on her in that book. Hearing her footsteps, he glanced up. "Hello Kiyo-chan."

"Hello Inui-kun. Whose data are you reading up on?"

"Tezuka's. I'm playing him tomorrow in the rankings and I have collected new data on him that needs to be analyzed. If you'll excuse me."

Kiyo said goodbye and left for home. So Tezuka was playing a serious match tomorrow. She hoped practice didn't run over tomorrow so she could watch him play against someone who actually knew what they were doing. "Well it looks like I have something to look forward to tomorrow." Kiyo thought, smiling.

Time did not want to pass the following day. Even practice, which usually flew by, dragged on. When her coach finally dismissed them, she changed as quick as she could and headed toward the tennis court. She felt relieved when she saw the entire team crowded around the fence. The match wasn't over yet. Walking closer, she found a spot where she could still see the match, but not be too near everyone else. As much as she liked everyone, she wanted to watch this alone. It appeared the match had been going on for some time. Both Inui and Tezuka were covered in sweat. Inui served, Tezuka returned it with little effort. She watched the two boys in awe. Tezuka hardly moved around the court; it was if he was manipulating Inui to hit the ball toward him. Even with her little knowledge of tennis she could see that Tezuka had the upper hand; a puppet master to his puppet. Tezuka's control was almost scary, yet beautiful at the same time. He was truly in his element, and Kiyo was glad she was able to witness it. Before Oishi could shout, "Game and match, Tezuka" she decided to slip away quietly, missing the pair of cerulean eyes and knowing smile that witnessed her departure.

In the locker room after the match, Tezuka was putting away his things when Fuji walked in. "Nice match Tezuka. You even had an unexpected spectator."

"Who was it this time?" He asked, used to people coming to scout him.

"Kiyo-chan. She looked like she was enjoying herself very much." Fuji grinned further.

Tezuka's racket slipped out of his hand and clattered to the floor. Hastily picking it up and stuffing it into his bag, he turned to Fuji and said, "I told her I couldn't walk home with her today. I thought she understood."

Fuji laughed. "I don't think that was it. I think she likes you Tezuka." He turned to go leave, grinning at Tezuka's expression. "But I could be wrong. Well, see you tomorrow."

Tezuka's eyes narrowed at Fuji's comment. What did he know that Tezuka didn't? Or rather, what did he see that Tezuka didn't see? "Maybe I'm refusing to see it." He thought. While true that he could have his pick of girls from the school, Kiyo had gotten under his skin. Plenty of girls had watched him play tennis before, but the news that Kiyo had been one of them, in a rather intimate match nonetheless, made him feel strange. "Why am I feeling like this? She's just a girl. I have Nationals as my goal, not this girl who suddenly became good friends with my teammates." He argued with himself.

"Why not have two goals? It's obvious you have some sort of feelings for her if you're thinking about her this much. Fuji isn't blind. She likes you too. Why don't you wake up and see that instead of ignoring it?" A small voice in the back of his head told him. Tezuka scowled, cursing his conscience under his breath as he left the locker room in a huff.

* * *

The following day after practice, Ryuzaki-sensei asked to speak with Tezuka in her office. "It won't take long." She assured him. "I just need to ask you something."

Curious as to what his coach had to ask, he turned to Kikumaru and said, "I'll be a little late walking home today. You and Kiyokawa don't have to wait for me."

Kikumaru grinned. "We'll wait for you. I think Kiyo-chan would rather wait too. You haven't walked with her in three days." Tezuka nodded and headed up to speak with Ryuzaki-sensei.

"You don't have to make a decision now, but it's something to think about. I know America is far, but a lot of great players have attended this camp." The elderly woman explained.

"Yeah." Tezuka answered halfheartedly, glancing out the window. His gaze fell upon Kiyokawa and Kikumaru; apparently she was teaching him a few stances with her shinai (kendo sword). He couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy as he watched the two of them. Kiyo looked up at the window and met his gaze. She smiled and waved. Turning back to his coach he said, "I can't go. We have nationals to worry about."

"If you feel that is the right decision, then I can't force you. That's all. You're free to go."

Tezuka bowed and left the office. Hurrying to meet up with Kiyo and Kikumaru, Tezuka's head met Kiyo's shinai as Kikumaru attempted a strike. His brow twitched. "Sorry about that Tezuka." Kikumaru laughed nervously, scratching the back of his head.

Kiyo had to bite her tongue to keep a giggle from escaping her lips. "I think that's enough kendo for you Eiji-kun." She said, placing her shinai back in her bag. "You aren't in trouble are you Tezuka-san?"

"No. Let's go." He replied coldly.

Kikumaru did most of the talking one the way home. When the subject of the prefectural tournament came up, Kiyo turned to the duo and asked, "What school do you guys play next anyway?"

"We won't know till next week. The opponents are chosen via a blind draw. The captains from each team are to meet together with the officials and everything will be decided at that time." Tezuka answered.

"I see. Well, let's hope it's someone you guys can beat easily right?"

Kikumaru nodded. "Each team has good players, but we'll do our best. Well, my house is this way. I'll see you two tomorrow."

Kiyo and Tezuka said their goodbyes and continued to walk home. Shortly before they reached Kiyo's house, her brother Daisuke came waltzing out of the front gate. He grinned evilly when he saw the two of them. "And who is this walking with my dear sister? Could it be that she's fallen in love?"

"Daisuke!" She yelled, feeling her face turn crimson.

Turning to Tezuka he said, "I'm Kiyokawa Daisuke. Nice to meet you."

"Tezuka Kunimitsu. Nice to meet you."

"Daisuke, don't you have somewhere else to be or something?" Kiyo asked, staring at the concrete.

Daisuke looked taken aback. "What is this? Is my little sister trying to get rid of me?" He flung his arm dramatically over his forehead. "Fine. I shall leave you two love birds alone. They grow up so fast don't they Tezuka-kun?" He added, pretending to sob as he walked up the stone path to the house.

Tezuka watched Daisuke walk back inside. Kiyo had never mentioned having a brother. Then again, he seemed a little…off so he didn't blame her for not mentioning him. He turned his gaze to Kiyo. The blush had crept to her ears now while she played with the bow on her uniform. He had to admit, she did look rather cute. "He's so stupid sometimes." Kiyo muttered, looking up. "Sorry you had to meet him like that. He likes picking on me. Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow. Bye Tezuka-san." She hurried in her house.

As Tezuka turned to leave, he heard laughter coming from the open window, followed by what sounded like an angry Kiyo. "I'm going to kill you!"

The following week, Oishi and Tezuka sat in a room with the representatives from the other teams waiting to see who their next opponent would be. As the brackets filled, each captain walked up with baited breath, hoping to not pick the number fifteen, pitting them against Seigaku. "Hyotei Gakuen." The official called. Atobe Keigo strode to the front of the room and dipped his hands into the remaining numbers. He turned to face Tezuka and Oishi and flashed them the number fifteen.

"Well it looks like we're going to be playing each other very soon Tezuka. How is Kiyokawa doing? That is, if she hasn't decided you're not worth the effort yet."

"She's fine as long as you stay away from her."

"Oh my, I didn't realize you were her knight in shining armor." Atobe smiled evilly. "Regardless, we shall see who the victor will be both on and off the court. Right Kabaji?"

"Usu."

"You're playing Hyotei?" Kiyo asked the following day, racking her brain to remember where she had heard the name of the school before. "That jerk is on that team! He was so arrogant. I don't know how anyone could like someone like that."

Tezuka nodded. "Atobe Keigo. Hyotei's captain. His skills aren't to be taken lightly, but I will not lose. I absolutely will not."

AN: Thanks for all the reviews guys! Coming up next is the Hyotei match. Just what does Atobe have in store? Well, you'll have to wait and find out.


	7. Hyotei vs Seigaku? Or Atobe vs Tezuka?

* * *

Disclaimer: Kiyokawa is mine, everything else is not. You really don't want to sue me anyway. You won't get much.

Tezuka lay awake in bed the night before the match with Atobe's words ringing in his head. "How is Kiyokawa doing? That is, if she hasn't decided you're not worth the effort yet." He wasn't entirely sure why he had let those words sink so deep under his skin. Kiyokawa had already expressed her dislike for Atobe, yet he still saw him as a threat.

"Will you just admit you like her? It's no use pretending you don't. Everyone else sees it but you." Tezuka's conscience told him. He rolled over and stared blankly at his ceiling. While the road to Nationals was his main priority, his thoughts had been drifting to Kiyokawa the past couple of nights.

Sighing, he whispered, "Okay, maybe a little."

* * *

Kiyokawa left the house before her brother awoke the following morning to escape his taunting. Daisuke had been relentless since his brief meeting of Tezuka, and she really didn't feel like hearing it on the morning when she was going to be spending practically the whole day with him and the rest of the team. Upon arriving, she realized she had left a little too early. She saw no sign of anyone from Seigaku among the increasing numbers of Hyotei uniforms. When the team finally showed up, Kikumaru nearly tackled her. "Wai! You're here again! Huh? Where's Oishi?" He scanned the crowd.

As the registration deadline drew nearer, there was still no sign of Oishi. Momo, having recently lost his Regular position to Inui, offered to look for him. He returned a short while later, panting and out of breath. "Oishi's in the hospital. He hurt his wrist while helping a pregnant woman that went into labor. He can't play."

Sumire Ryuzaki frowned, thinking. "Momoshiro, Kikumaru, you're playing doubles two. Momo, go get Oishi's uniform. Hurry! We haven't got much time before we're disqualified."

Kiyo looked at Kikumaru after Momo ran off. He looked nervous. "It'll be ok." She assured, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"I hope so...nya."

Momo returned with mere seconds to spare before registration closed. Heaving a silent sigh of relief, Kiyo headed toward the bleachers. As she drew closer, the chants of "Hyotei" grew louder. When she reached them, her mouth fell open slightly. "There's so many of them." She said quietly.

"Hyotei Tennis Club has over 200 members. They've saved their true regulars for us."

Kiyo jumped slightly when Tezuka spoke, having not heard him walk up behind her. "True regulars? What do you mean?"

"In Hyotei, you have to win to keep your position. If you lose, someone the coach deems more worthy takes your position. They didn't use their best players in their last match, so they're using them against us."

"So that means you'll be facing their captain if it goes that far?"

Tezuka nodded, glaring at the opposing team's bench. Following his gaze, her eyes fell upon Atobe Keigo, soaking up all the attention he was receiving. Kiyo scowled, disgusted at his arrogance. "We should probably catch up with everyone else." She said.

* * *

The matches between Seigaku and Hyotei were far more intense than the previous matches against Yamabuki. Once Momo and Kikumaru adapted to each other they pulled of a spectacular win; influenced slightly by the arrival of Oishi. However, due to Inui's computer-like brain and brutal honesty, the Inui/Kaidoh pair lost their match. Singles one pitted powerhouse against powerhouse as Kawamura squared off against Kabaji. But due to both players exerting themselves to the point where neither of them could continue playing, it resulted in a no game. Coach Ryuzaki took the two boys to the hospital and Echizen assumed the role of bench coach as Fuji took the court. Kiyo liked Fuji a lot, but he was scary when he played. His opponent however, did not look the least bit scared, but rather groggy, as if he had just been woken up. Fuji defeated him quite easily, even after his opponent woke up halfway through the match. The boy wasn't even angry that he had been defeated by the prodigy; he thought it was one of the coolest things in the world. With singles two finished and Seigaku leading with two wins, it was time for the captains to face each other. "Echizen!" Tezuka bellowed. "Warm up with me." The freshman grumbled a reply, obviously perturbed that he was an alternate, grabbed his racket and followed the captain.

"It's a rare thing for Tezuka to ask to be warmed up." Fuji said, watching the pair head for an empty court.

Kiyo turned to Fuji. "Maybe this match has some sort of special meaning to him. Or he just wants to shut that arrogant Atobe up." She said, smiling. Fuji gave a small laugh.

"Hmm? Where's Ryoma-kun?" A nervous Sakuno scanned the crowd. "I-I'll go find him."

Kiyo smiled. She had to admit Sakuno was adorable with her admiration for Ryoma; she was so worried about him that she couldn't sit still, though she wasn't quite as verbal about it as her extroverted friend Tomoka. Excusing herself to get some juice, Kiyo headed up the bleachers. Halfway to the vending machines, she caught sight of two long brown pigtails; their owner with her face nearly pressed into the chain link of the fence. Walking over, she stopped and said, "They're good aren't they?"

Sakuno jumped as if she'd been caught stealing. "K-Kiyokawa-senpai." She stammered. "I didn't know where Ryoma-kun went so I went to go find him" She finished in a small voice, her face turning scarlet.

Kiyo smiled. "It's alright. They need people like us; people who support them no matter if they win or lose. It's all part of the game right?" She looked up and caught Tezuka's eye briefly. She couldn't be totally sure, but she thought she saw a smirk form on Echizen's face after he snuck a brief glance at Sakuno. "We should probably be heading back. The match is going to start soon." Sakuno nodded.

As the two girls walked back, Kiyo remembered why she had gotten up in the first place. "I almost forgot. I'm getting a juice. Would you like one?" Kiyo asked.

"No thanks. I'm fine. I'll see you in the seats then." Sakuno hurried off.

Kiyo walked over to the vending machine and put her money in. While she was deciding, she felt a presence behind her. "That was rather touching Kiyo-chan." A voice purred in her ear.

Turning around, she came face to face with Atobe. "And just what was touching?" She asked.

"What you said to that girl. About having people that support you no matter what. I was moved."

"So you were spying on me."

Atobe looked taken aback at her accusation. "Spying? I was merely drawn to your beauty my dear; something Tezuka fails to see, despite all the times he undeservingly looks at you."

Kiyo narrowed her eyes. "Don't talk about him like that."

Atobe grinned. "Do you actually think you have a chance with him? Why not take a chance with someone beautiful like myself? I can give you everything you desire...and more." He placed his hand under her chin and stroked her cheek with his thumb.

Smacking his hand away, she snarled, "I have to go. And you do too. The match is about to begin."

Atobe placed his hands on either side of her shoulders, pinning her against the vending machine. "They can't start without the star player now can they? How about a kiss for good luck?" He cooed.

Kiyo tried to get loose, but his grip on her was stronger than it looked. Peering over his shoulder, hoping to find someone that could help her, she saw Tezuka standing there; his eyes boring into the back of Atobe's head. He looked furious. "ATOBE!"

AN: Oooh cliffhanger. Sorry this took so long, but school is starting back up again and I had to move into my apartment and whatnot. I'll try to get the next chapter up ASAP, but until then, enjoy!


	8. It begins

AN: Blows off the dust It's been quite the wait. I've had this chapter half finished for around a year now but between graduating college, the boyfriend, friends, and family this had to go on the backburner. The next chapter will be the last and I should have that up before the end of the month. Enough of my drabble; on with the story.

Disclaimer: Kiyokawa mine. PoT Not mine. Savvy?

Tezuka and Echizen headed back to the bench. He had a good feeling about the match and seeing Kiyokawa watch him warm up only boosted his confidence. As the pair headed back, Tezuka caught a glimpse of what appeared to be a Seigaku school uniform pinned against a vending machine. Narrowing his eyes to see who the uniform belonged to, his grip tightened around his racket when he saw a shock of blonde hair behind none other than Atobe Keigo. Echizen pulled his cap lower over his eyes and smirked. "So the captain does show emotion every once in awhile." He thought.

Tezuka's eyes bored holes into the back of Atobe's, fueling his desire to win the match even more. "How dare he do that to her?" He thought. Echizen's voice brought him out of his reverie.

"Hey, captain. Aren't you going to help her?"

Tezuka nodded slightly. "ATOBE!" He bellowed.

Atobe gracefully turned around and grinned slyly at Tezuka; his arms draped around Kiyokawa's shoulders. "Ohh? Tezuka. Is there a problem? Kiyokawa and I were just having a pep talk before my victory. Weren't we beautiful?"

Kiyokawa glared at him. "No, we weren't."

"Let her go Atobe." Tezuka commanded.

Atobe scoffed. "Oh you're no fun." Loosening his grip on Kiyokawa, he gazed at her and said, "Why don't you go to your prince then?" Kiyokawa felt a forceful shove on her back and she reeled forward. In her attempt to stop herself from falling, she extended her left leg and stepped onto an uneven crack in the sidewalk, painfully rolling her ankle before colliding with something soft and warm. She flushed when she realized whose arms she had fallen into; Tezuka had just barely managed to catch her and was glaring at the retreating form of Atobe before he turned to her.

"Are you alright?"

"I-I don't think so. I may have twisted my ankle."

"Can you stand?"

"I think so." She replied, taking Tezuka's offered hand, only to feel a sharp pain shoot up the left side of her leg when she attempted to stand, forcing her to sit back down; tears glistening in the corners of her eyes. "I guess not."

"Let me see it." Tezuka said, gingerly pulling down her sock to get a better look. Kiyokawa grimaced when she saw the golf ball sized green and purple welt on her ankle. "Echizen." He turned to the freshman who was pretending to be uninterested. "Tell Oishi to prepare an ice pack. We need to get this swelling down." Echizen nodded and took off for the bench.

"I'm sorry." Kiyokawa apologized, looking at the cement. "I don't want to make you late for your match. Why don't you go on ahead. I'll be ok here."

Tezuka stared at her. "I'm not leaving you here. Grab onto my neck."

"O-okay." Kiyokawa blushed and slipped her arms around Tezuka's neck. Feeling his muscles contract through his thin polo as he effortlessly picked her up from the ground only made her flush a deeper shade of crimson. She was certain that he could feel, if not hear her heart thudding against her ribcage as he carried her back to the bench. As they drew close, a blur of red, white, and blue hurried over to them, talking rapidly.

"Kiyo-chan what happened? Echizen said you hurt your ankle. Who did this to you?"

"Kikumaru." Tezuka said, quieting the ball of energy.

Kiyokawa smiled. "I'm okay really."

Kikumaru didn't look convinced; his face a mixture of emotion as Tezuka set her down gingerly on the bench. Oishi rushed over, concern etched into his forehead as he set the first aid kit down and looked at her ankle. "We need to get that shoe off now. Elevate it and put this on it." He told her, handing her an ice pack. "Echizen said you were pushed. Is this true?"

"Yeah, it is."

Momo clenched his fist. "Who did it?"

"Singles one. Hyotei Gakuen's Atobe Keigo versus Seigaku's Tezuka Kunimitsu will begin momentarily." The loudspeaker blared.

"He did." Kiyo replied, looking down at the court and catching Atobe's eye as he pointed his racket at her and winked.

"That bastard…" Grumbled Momo, the other members of the team expressing their discontent.

"Everyone!" The group turned and looked at their captain. "I'll settle this on the court. I promised to take you to nationals. I will win."

Kiyo smiled. "Good luck."

"Ah." Tezuka nodded, picking up his racket and heading to the court.


	9. Game and Match

WARNING: There are spoilers for the match between Tezuka and Atobe in this chapter. You have been warned.

Standard disclaimer..Kiyokawa is mine everything else isn't

Tezuka marched to the court; the match now having a second purpose. He greeted Atobe at the net, shaking hands with him perhaps a little too hard. "Oh? It seems as if your princess has hurt herself." Atobe smirked, stealing a glance at Kiyokawa. "You know, I could have my doctor take a look at her. He's right over…"

"She's fine. Let's end this." Tezuka replied curtly.

"Tch." Atobe scoffed, walking to his place on the court. "This match will be far from quick." He mumbled to himself.

Kiyokawa watched with baited breath as the two boys shook each other's hands; the animosity between them permeating the Seigaku bench. They exchanged words and she felt Atobe's eyes on her briefly; knowing at once they were not wishes for a good game. She bit her lip nervously as Tezuka and Atobe took their sides of the court. "Good luck Tezuka." She thought as the ball collided with the racket, signaling the first serve of the game.

The match seemed to drag on for hours. The pain in her ankle took a backseat to the intensity playing out before her eyes. Although both Tezuka and Atobe were seemingly matched in terms of skill, something did not feel right to Kiyokawa. The Hyotei regulars, save for the narcoleptic Akutagawa, appeared shocked that Atobe was losing, though he did not seemed perturbed at all. "Nya, Kiyo-chan is something wrong?" A concerned Kikumaru asked the girl.

The blonde nodded. "I know I don't know a whole lot about tennis but something doesn't feel right. It's as if Atobe is planning something. Everything he's doing feels intentional."

Oishi furrowed his brow. "He couldn't…but his elbow is healed." He said quietly.

"What about his elbow?" Kiyo asked.

"Two years ago, when we were freshman, one of our senpai got angry with Tezuka for playing with his right arm during practice. You see, Tezuka beat everyone with such ease that when he found out Tezuka was left handed he felt mocked and smashed his left elbow with his racket. He was going to quit the club until our captain convinced him otherwise. Tezuka was having problems with it up until recently when the doctor declared him fully healed. Atobe might be trying to injure it again, that's why he's dragging out this match."

"That's not the only thing wrong with this match." A voice chimed in. "Atobe still hasn't used his 'unbelievable smash'."

The group turned around to see who the voice belonged to and came face to face with a Rikkaidai uniform. Yanagi Renji, Inui's childhood friend, stood there observing the match as well.

"What do you mean 'unbelievable smash'?" Kiyo asked.

"At the All Junior tournament he hit what he called the 'Rondo Towards Destruction'. He hits his opponent's grip forcing it out of their hand and the ball to come back at him as a lob, allowing him to smash and gain the point."

A gasp from the crowd forced Kiyo's attention back to the game. Tezuka had lobbed it high, and after what she had just heard, she fully expected the next hit to knock Tezuka's racket out of his hand, but Atobe lightly returned it. Momo heaved a sigh of relief, but Hyotei seemed confused. Atobe just smirked. Kiyo looked at the other members of the team and felt a sinking feeling enter her stomach. The smile had disappeared from Fuji's face and his eyes had opened. Even Ryoma's usually calm demeanor had been shaken by something. "What's wrong?" Kiyo asked carefully, her eyes flicking between the two boys.

"This is bad. If this match were to end quickly Tezuka would be fine, but Atobe is dragging out this match on purpose. He knows Tezuka's elbow is healed, but he's not aiming for that." Fuji replied.

Kiyo's eyes widened. "Then what is he aiming for?"

* * *

Atobe smirked as the referee declared the point his. Both he and Tezuka were covered in sweat; their polos clinging to their lithe frames as the game wore on. Atobe laughed to himself. "If this match were to last only twenty minutes Tezuka would be fine. I can defeat anyone in thirty minutes, but not you Tezuka. I can destroy you in an hour and I want to play you for at least two. I had no intention of hurting dear Kiyo-chan; that was purely accidental, but you. Beating you isn't enough. I have every intention of destroying…"

* * *

"His shoulder." Fuji replied. "Atobe wants to destroy his shoulder, not his elbow. Tezuka had anticipated this would not end quickly. He's chosen winning over his arm." 

"But..that's insane." Kiyo said, her eyes full of concern.

"Oi! Kiyo." Atobe yelled, her head snapping to meet his gaze. "Tezuka's arm can only last an hour and this match is going to last much longer than that. Hope you enjoy watching the fall of your prince." He winked.

Kiyo clenched her fist, anger flaring in her eyes as she opened her mouth to retort; a determined look from Tezuka telling her it would be alright. Shooting a nasty look at Atobe instead, she sat back and the match resumed.

Knowing Atobe's true intention made watching the match that much harder for Kiyo. The two were tied with six games apiece and Tezuka lead the current game 40-0. With one more serve to go, Kiyo watched as Tezuka fell to his knees. His shoulder had finally given out. Jumping to her feet with the rest of the regulars, she was stopped short by the searing pain coursing through her leg. "STOP IT!" She screamed. "You're hurting him!"

"Stay where you are!" Tezuka commanded his team, picking himself up and walking up to the bench. Taking a drink from his water bottle, he started to march back to his position on the court, only to be stopped by a concerned Oishi.

"Are you doing this to fulfill the promise you made to our captain two years ago?"

"I will win." Tezuka replied.

"Hey, Captain. Beat Atobe just like you beat me." Echizen said, giving up his position of bench coach to Oishi.

Tezuka nodded and took his position.

Kiyokawa watched as the freshman grabbed his racket and headed towards the practice courts; Momoshiro in tow. "That doesn't look like a good sign." She thought to herself.

* * *

While Momo and Echizen were doing their warm-ups, a large cheer erupted from the crowd. The two stopped, looked at each other, and rushed back to the court. Unfortunately it was Hyotei doing the cheering and not Seigaku. The match had gone into a tie break. Atobe lead 36-35. One more point in his favor and the match would be over. Kiyokawa watched nervously, her hands wringing the end of her skirt. Her eyes widened as Tezuka performed a move she got to witness first hand: his Zero-Shiki drop shot. A smile spread across her face as she knew the outcome of the shot. Her smile soon fell as the ball did not roll back to the net like it was supposed to. Atobe returned it with a drop shot of his own. At that instant, the world moved in slow motion. Tezuka was able to reach the shot, but it slammed into the net. Atobe had won. "No…" Kiyo whispered, her hand coming up to her lips as Tezuka's arm fell limply to his side. 

Hyotei roared with cheers of victory and Atobe stood there with his racket held high in the air, lapping at the attention. Kiyokawa glared daggers at him, furious with what he had done to Tezuka. As if on cue, he met her gaze and grinned, blowing a kiss at her before turning to go back to his bench.

Turning her attention back to the Seigaku team, she watched Tezuka speaking with Echizen before he walked over and sat down beside her. She didn't have to ask how his shoulder was. She knew he was in pain even though he gave no indication he was. They sat that way for a few minutes, neither of them saying anything. Kiyokawa was about to ask what was to happen next when Tezuka answered for her. "It's up to Echizen now. We have two losses, two wins, and a no game. The alternates will determine the outcome of this. We need to get you to the hospital and have that ankle looked at."

Kiyo shook her head. "I'd say you're in worse shape than I am. If anyone needs to get to a hospital it's you." The corners of Tezuka's mouth lifted a little. "And the only way I'm going to one is if you're with me."

Tezuka stared at the girl, somewhat surprised with her forwardness. Turning back to the court he sighed softly. "Once this is over we go."

"Ochibi!"

"Nice one Echizen!" Momo exclaimed, slapping the freshman on the back.

Echizen had pulled through, claiming the game and match 6-2, subsequently shocking the Hyotei team with his abilities. Sakuno walked up to the boy, her cheeks tinged with pink. "C-congratulations Ryoma-kun." She stammered, quickly looking at the ground.

"Tch." Ryoma replied, pulling his hat further over his eyes. "Mada mada da ne."

The team couldn't help but laugh. "Alright alright." Coach Ryuzaki said, trying to calm her excited team down. "We can celebrate all we want but first we need to get you two to the hospital and have those injuries looked at." She indicated to Tezuka and Kiyokawa.

Tezuka stood, offering his right hand to Kiyokawa. Flushing slightly, she took his hand as he helped her up, teetering on one leg as she tried to regain her balance. "Kiyo-chaaaaan you can't walk like that. Let me carry you. That is, if it's ok with Tezuka." Kikumaru said, shooting a sly glance at his captain. Tezuka simply nodded and Kiyokawa climbed onto Kikumaru's back. "Let's go!" He exclaimed, taking off at record speed.

"Eiji! Be careful! You're going to drop her that way." Oishi shouted at his doubles partner's retreating form.

"Everyone, let's go." Tezuka said, setting off after Kiyokawa and Kikumaru.

AN: Well I said this was going to be the final chapter and it turned out to be longer than I had anticipated so I'll err on the safe side and say there will be no more than one or two chapters left. Hope everyone enjoyed this chapter and I hope to have the next one up soon.


	10. A Beautiful Goodbye

AN: Well here it is, the final chapter. I've gone back and made some minor changes to the first couple of chapters, namely changing where I had Japanese in the dialogue to English so it flows a lot better now. Standard disclaimer applies. Kiyokawa is mine, everything else isn't.

IMPORTANT TERM: "Yakusoku da yo" Not only is it the title of this story, but it's also Japanese for "It's a promise."

The days following the match were hard on Kiyo, mainly because she had never walked on crutches before. The doctors wrapped her ankle in an air cast and had told her it wasn't a serious sprain and that she should be off the crutches in a week or two. Unfortunately, it also meant no kendo for her. She had been excused from practice till her ankle healed, which allowed her to spend more time watching the boys' tennis practice rather than catching the tail end of it each day as she waited for Tezuka and Kikumaru.

The Friday following the tournament, while she watched the boys pick up their things, signaling the end of practice, she heard a familiar voice call out to her. "Kiyo-chaaaaaan!" Kikumaru yelled, bounding over to her. "We have a team meeting after practice today so Tezuka and I will be a little late. If you don't want to wait for us it's okay."

Kiyo shook her head. "It's fine. I'll wait for you guys."

Kikumaru's eyes widened. "Okay! We'll meet you at the gate then."

Kiyo nodded and watched her friend join the rest of his teammates. Gathering up her things, she hobbled toward the gate and sat on a nearby bench. After about fifteen minutes of waiting, she heard someone approach her. "Yo. Kiyokawa."

She recognized that voice immediately. Gritting her teeth, she looked up from the magazine she was reading and into the eyes of none other than Atobe. "What do you want?" She spat.

Atobe feigned looking hurt and sat next to the girl. "Only to offer my apologies to you dear Kiyo. It was never my intention for you to wind up like this. You poor thing, allow me to give you a ride home. It's the least I can do."

"The only one you need to be apologizing to is Tezuka-san. Besides, I'm waiting for someone." She replied bluntly.

"Oh? Pity. Then would you do me the honor of accompanying me to the opera this weekend? I have my own private box and it would give us a chance to be alone. What do you say?" He purred.

"We already have plans."

Kiyo and Atobe both turned and met the stoic gaze of Tezuka, Kikumaru in tow. Kiyo stared incredulously at Tezuka, clueless as to what he was referring to. He gave her a knowing glance and she knew she was to play along.

Atobe smirked. "Tezuka." He stated simply. "Do my ears deceive me or did you just say you were taking my dear sweet Kiyo-chan on a date this weekend?"

"That's exactly what you heard." Kiyo chimed in. "And I am NOT yours."

Atobe's smirk grew wider. "That's too bad." He cooed, running his fingers gently over her cheek. "We would have been so perfect together."

Before Kiyo could react, a strong hand grabbed Atobe's collar and yanked him into a standing position. "Enough." Tezuka said.

Atobe slapped Tezuka's hand away, a scowl forming on his face. "Tch. Kabaji, we're leaving."

"Usu."

Kiyo, Tezuka, and Kikumaru watched the two of them head down the sidewalk when Atobe stopped and faced the trio. "Oh, by the way Tezuka how's the shoulder?"

Tezuka glared at the boy. "Kiyokawa, let's go." He turned to her, offering her his hand to help her up.

"I have your bag Kiyo-chan." Kikumaru said.

"Okay." Kiyo replied, hitching the crutches under her arms. She looked up to see if Atobe was still there but he had gone. "I'm ready, let's go."

Tezuka nodded and the trio set off for home.

* * *

Kiyo and Tezuka stopped in front of her house, having said bye to Kikumaru a few blocks prior. "Hey, thanks for getting rid of Atobe back there. He really doesn't know how to take a hint." Kiyo said. 

"Atobe is persistent. He will not stop until he gets what he wants, as you have seen." Tezuka replied.

Kiyo nodded. "Yeah, you're right, but I'm one thing he won't be getting. Well, I should be getting inside. I'll see you on Monday Tezuka-san." She said, starting up the path to her house.

"Kiyokawa, your bag."

"Oh, right. My fault." She replied, taking her bag from Tezuka's hand, a slight flush creeping into her cheeks as her hand brushed against his. "Thanks."

"What are you doing tomorrow?" Tezuka asked abruptly.

Kiyo's mouth fell open. "N-nothing. I don't have any plans."

Tezuka inwardly heaved a sigh of relief. "There's a new movie coming out tomorrow. Would you like to go see it?"

Kiyo couldn't believe what she had just heard. Had Tezuka just asked her out on a date? "Of course." She managed to spit out, after staring at him dumbfounded for a few seconds.

"Tomorrow at 1:00 in front of the station?" He asked.

"Works for me." She smiled.

Tezuka nodded, turning to leave. "Tomorrow then."

"Yep. See you tomorrow." Kiyo replied, heading inside, a huge grin plastered on her face.

Tezuka watched her go inside, a slight smile playing on the corners of his lips and turned and headed toward his house.

* * *

Kiyo had trouble sleeping that night; her brain reeling with thoughts of what was going to happen tomorrow. "What should I wear? What if I make an idiot out of myself? What if I say something stupid? What if I offend him? Why can't I be off these damn crutches?" She thought, rolling over in her bed. "I know I should just be myself, but this isn't walking home from school, it's an actual date." Sighing, she rolled over once more and eventually fell asleep.

Morning came all too quick as Kiyo smacked the snooze button on her alarm. Hobbling out of bed, she showered and stood in front of her closet. After deciding on her favorite skirt and a cute t-shirt, she put on a touch of makeup, did her hair and headed to the station.

Tezuka stood as she neared him, meeting her halfway. "Hey." She greeted. "I'm not late am I? I'm kind of slow with these things." She said, indicating her crutches.

Tezuka shook his head. "Not at all. I was early. Ready to go?"

Kiyo nodded and the two set off for the theatre.

"Aww he was so sweet to her." Kiyo commented after the movie let out. "A little clumsy and awkward, but sweet nonetheless."

"Yeah." Tezuka agreed, happy to see Kiyo enjoying herself. "Would you like to get some lunch?"

As if on cue, Kiyo's stomach let out a growl. "I'd love to." She laughed. "What do you want to… oh!" She yelped, feeling someone bump into her from behind, pitching her forward into Tezuka as her crutches clattered unceremoniously to the cement.

"Sorry!" A kid said, taking off after his friends.

"You should watch where you're going." Tezuka said to the boy. "Are you okay?" He turned to Kiyo, who was leaning on his chest to keep her balance.

"I'm fine." She replied, her face flushing even hotter as she stepped back from Tezuka. "Sorry about that."

Tezuka shook his head. "It's alright. Here." He said, picking up her crutches for her. "Ready for lunch?"

"Yeah, let's go." She replied, the two of them heading down the street.

"That was really good curry." Kiyo remarked.

Tezuka smirked. "Glad you liked it. So, how's your ankle doing?"

"It's feeling a lot better. I should be off the crutches by the end of next week. Then hopefully I should be able to go back to kendo practice. I'm getting tired of sitting out. How's your shoulder?"

"It's about as well as it's going to get right now. It will be awhile before I'm able to use it for tennis again."

"Do you know how long that will be?"

"A few months at least. I've been looking into some rehab programs and I was recommended a program in Germany that specializes in tennis related injuries."

Kiyo coughed as she took a sip of her drink; unable to hide her surprise. "G-Germany? But that's so far. What about the team?"

"They'll be fine under Oishi's command. They're more than capable of performing without me."

"Hmm I suppose you're right. Well, you still have some time to decide right?"

Tezuka nodded. "I have a few more weeks to make my decision."

Kiyo smiled. "I'm glad." She glanced out the window of the small restaurant. "There's still some daylight left, do you want to go for a walk? There's a park about a block from here."

"Are you sure your ankle will be okay?" He asked.

Kiyo nodded. "I'll be fine."

"Well in that case, of course." He replied, standing up and offering his hand to her.

The first stars were beginning to appear in the sky when Tezuka and Kiyo stood outside her house. "Thank you for everything today. I had a great time. Thanks for walking me all the way home too. You didn't have to do that."

Tezuka stepped closer to her and placed his hand on her shoulder. "I've told you, it's on the way. Besides, it's dangerous for a girl to be walking around alone this time of night. If anything were to happen to you I…"

Kiyo's face flushed for the second time that day as she looked up. "Tezuka-san?"

He stepped back. "Sorry, it's nothing. I'm glad you had a good time today. I was afraid you weren't going to. I had a great time too." He smiled. "Well, I'll see you in school. Good night Kiyokawa."

"Good night Tezuka-san." She replied, heading inside, unable to stop smiling.

Kiyokawa beamed as she watched his retreating form from her bedroom window. "So he was nervous too." She thought. "I'm glad I wasn't the only one, but please. Let him stay here."

* * *

The following weeks were fairly uneventful, save for the teasing she received from Kikumaru once he found out about her date with Tezuka. Kiyo's ankle had healed and she was able to return to the kendo club. She sat outside the tennis courts one Friday afternoon when Kikumaru came bounding up to her, hugging her from behind. "Kiyo-chaaaaaaan!" 

"Eiji-kun you're all sweaty!" She protested, laughing a little.

Kikumaru let go, pretending to be hurt. "Tezuka said he'd be a few minutes late. He's talking with Ryuzaki-sensei about Germa..." He clamped his hand over his mouth, looking everywhere but at Kiyokawa.

"Germany?" She asked. "So, he is going then." It was hard to hide the disappointment in her voice.

"You knew?" Kikumaru replied.

"Well, he mentioned it was a possibility but I...I never knew he decided to go." She bit her lower lip, tears springing to the corners of her eyes.

A look of concern crossed Kikumaru's face. "Kiyo-chan, are you okay?"

She forced a smile. "I'm fine. My allergies must be acting up or something. I'm okay, really." She knew Kikumaru didn't believe her, but it was hard for her to admit just how upsetting the news was to her. "Here comes Tezuka-san."

The captain greeted the pair and the three of them set off for home, concern set in Kikumaru's expression.

After bidding Kikumaru goodbye for the day, Kiyokawa stopped just short of her house and looked at Tezuka. "Is it true?" She asked. "Are you really going to Germany?"

Tezuka sighed. "Yes, it is. I was going to tell you, but it seems someone beat me to it."

Kiyo stared at the cement. "When…when are you leaving?"

"Two weeks from tomorrow. I don't know when I'll be back."

Kiyokawa couldn't hold back her tears this time as two wet spots appeared on the ground at her feet. "I see." She said, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. "Well, I have a lot of homework to do. I'll see you later Tezuka-san." She pushed past him and headed inside much quicker than usual; flinging herself on her bed and sobbing into her pillow.

Tezuka stared with confusion at Kiyokawa's house, not fully understanding why the news made her so upset. It pained him to see her like that, even more so knowing that he had been the cause of it. Sighing dejectedly, he turned to leave when a familiar voice stopped him. "Oh, Tezuka. Was that Kiyo-chan?"

He turned around. "Fuji. What are you doing here?"

He smiled. "I decided to take the long way home today. Is she alright? She seemed upset."

"I don't know." Tezuka replied.

"Ahh. Well, she can't hide it forever." Fuji said, looking up at his captain. "And neither can you." He turned to leave. "I'll talk to you later Tezuka."

Tezuka turned and headed in the opposite direction towards his house, feeling more confused by his friend's cryptic words than he was five minutes ago. "She can't hide what?" He thought, racking his brain for what Fuji meant. "I didn't think she was hiding anything."

"And neither can you."

Tezuka stopped in his tracks. "I really am an idiot." He admonished himself. "How could I have not seen it? No wonder the news hit her so hard." He thought, picking up his pace again. "No, I really can't hide it forever can I?"

* * *

The following two weeks went by faster than Kiyokawa wanted them to. They were bittersweet in a way, but Kikumaru had been there for her like her own personal cheerleader. But now, as she stood there with the boys and their coach in the airport terminal, reality finally set in. She hung back as the boys bid farewell to their captain, wishing him well with his recovery. After the final goodbye had been said, Kikumaru glanced over at Kiyokawa then turned to his teammates. "I have something I want to show you guys! It's really neat. Follow me!" 

"Eiji-sempai!" Momo protested. "We're going to see Tezuka off."

"You really are stupid." Kaidoh scoffed, heading off after Kikumaru.

"What was that!" Momo retorted, chasing after his rival.

Fuji smiled. "I'll go see what it is."

Ryoma smirked and pulled his cap lower over his eyes, silently following after his red-headed teammate.

Kiyo watched the rest of them follow suit and turned to the bespectacled captain. "So, I guess this is goodbye then." She said, fidgeting with the hem on her shirt.

"Yeah…" Tezuka trailed off.

"Promise me you'll come back." She blurted. "Promise me that once your shoulder is better you'll come back to us."

Tezuka looked down into her green eyes full of hope and gave her a small smile.

"Yakusoku da yo?" She asked.

"Final boarding call for flight 526." The loudspeaker blared.

"That's my flight." He said.

"Right." Kiyo said, biting her lip. "Well, good luck in Germany. Goodbye Tezuka-san." She turned to leave.

"Seira." The sound of her first name stopped her in her tracks and she felt something being draped over her. She looked down to find Tezuka's warm up jacket over her shoulders. Turning around, Tezuka enveloped her in an embrace. "Yakusoku da yo." He whispered in her ear. "Until then, take care of my jacket."

Kiyokawa nodded, reluctantly letting go and sliding her arms through the jacket sleeves. "I'll be waiting…Kunimitsu-san." She smiled, watching his retreating form.

-Fin-

AN: And there you have it. I want to thank everyone who took the time to read this, especially those who stuck with me through the hiatus of this story. I haven't decided if I'm going to write a sequel to this or not. Right now it's leaning towards a no, but I may get some inspiration in the future. Time will tell right?


End file.
